Update November 7th, 2013

I have found a fantastic essay by Mark Twain that captures my feelings as this point. It is titled, "That Awful German Language" here is a link, http://german.about.com/library/blmtwain01.htm.

update 10/24/13

This week I have been using a combination of flash cards and Rosetta Stone, which I very much like. I feel like I have made more progress this week than in any of the weeks prior. So from this point on that is the formula I will use.
I should also note that I have spent about an hour at home this week on Rosetta Stone. Oh and last week, I never got to talk to Libby but tomorrow I will.

Update 10-17-13

The network at my school has been blocking the lessons that I download for Rosetta Stone, as a result I have turned to flash cards. I have done thirty minutes of Rosetta at home, but I have to say that I really like the flash cards. Even if I get the chance to start doing Rosetta Stone again, I think I will continue to use the flash cards. Tomorrow I will have my first meeting with Libby, so I will see how that goes. I still think my learning is coming along slowly, but I think the flash cards will help.

Update 10-11-13

Yesterday I finished Unit 1 lesson 4 which was the last lesson in Unit 1. I did about an hour at home to get me to that point. I feel like I am making decent progress, but I need to speed up. I said the same thing last week, but I have had a busy week. No more playing around.

Update 10-4-13

This week I finished Unit 1 Lesson 3. I spent about an hour outside of class working on it and finally got it done Thursday in class. So, I think I might have to step up the pace to reach my goal by the end of the year. That is, be able to hold a conversation in German. I will try to complete a lesson every two days instead of four.

Update 9-25

I have completed Unit 1 Lesson 3 today. I am advancing well I think. Soon I will begin conversing with a tutor named Libby. Other than that I would like to say I have taken a liking to the German band Rammstein. I think it is pretty cool that I can actually understand part of their music now.

Update 9-19-13

Unfortunately, I am off to a late start on my journey. After receiving Rosetta Stone in the mail, I was not able to actually use it for a week because of my schools network, and the mac I have been assigned.  Nevertheless, I have not given up. I am almost done with Unit 1 Lesson 1 of Rosetta Stone. I think my new goal will be to complete a lesson every 2-3 days. That is far more attainable, and measurable, than my previous goals.

Reasons and goals

  Learning a new language is something that everybody should at least try. In language lies the key to interacting with new people and cultures that otherwise you would have no access to. It is these ideas that have lead me to endeavor to learn German. 

  To begin my journey I would like to develop a basic vocabulary of commonly used words. Being able to speak them is more important to me then being able to write them. For the first six weeks I would like to learn about 100-300 words in german. 

  Next I would like to move on to actually speech. Being able to string together words into coherent statements will become an important to me. Although, at this point grammar will not be as important. I would also like to develop my ability to read and write german.

  With this basic vocabulary and ability to speak I would like to further my vocabulary to the point that my speech is more like a 5 year olds compared to a three year old. Essentially, I want the ability to hold a very basic conversation. 

  During my fourth six weeks I would like to develop my listening skills. For example, I would like to watch movies in german, ones that I have not seen, and write a summary of what they are about. 

  By the fifth six weeks I would like to focus on reading and writing. To the point that I would be able to navigate the mean streets of Berlin easily.

  During my sixth six weeks I would like to refine my skills and practice conversations.